The invention relates to a snaffle bit for a horse with two side rings and one shackle arranged between said rings, said shackle having at least one joint on one side and being provided on the other with two side portions, a bore being provided in the end of each of the side portions that is remote from the at least one joint, said bore receiving a respective one of the rings in such a manner as to allow said rings to move freely.
This type of a snaffle bit for a horse forms the subject of the European Patent 17 959. In principle, this snaffle bit proved to be very appropriate. Reference is also made to the snaffle bits cited in this European Patent, more specifically to those according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,564; GB-A-7712/1914; GB-A-651913 and DE-C-194 071.
In devising the snaffle bit previously proposed and mentioned herein above, it proved particularly efficient to design the shackle so as to be even, smooth in contour and without edges and to have the transitions between discrete portions of the shackle made soft. It also proved very advantageous to have the section of the side portions tapering from the rings inward and this advantage will be retained. The same is true for the curved design of the shackle according to which a median line of the shackle that connects the bores intended to receive the two rings in such a manner as to provide them with freedom of movement is curved toward the front, toward the roof of the mouth. With the bit of the type mentioned above, this feature is achieved in providing the shackle with a joint so that a curved shape can be achieved.
Bits which have a jointed shackle will be designated herein after as xe2x80x9csingle jointxe2x80x9d snaffle bits, and bits which have a shackle with two joints as xe2x80x9cdouble jointxe2x80x9d snaffle bits. These two embodiments of the snaffle bit for horses of the type mentioned herein above have come to be highly appreciated by horsemen.
The present invention would like to retain the major features of the snaffle bit of the type mentioned herein above and to develop it in such a way that it is even more suited and advantageous for a horse and fits better in its mouth. With the snaffle bit of the type mentioned herein above it has been found that the pressure exerted through pulling on the reins not always acts on the horse""s tongue only, but in parts also on the roof of the mouth. But pressure onto the roof of the mouth is precisely what is not wanted.
This is where the invention comes to effect. It is its object to develop the snaffle bit of the type mentioned herein above in such a manner that, for a horse, the fit is improved and that pulling on the reins substantially acts on the tongue, the pull being initiated by way of the rings. It aims at ensuring that the bit adjusts in the best possible way to the anatomy of a horse""s mouth.
Starting from the snaffle bit of the type mentioned above, the solution of this object is achieved in that the axes of the two bores define a plane that is inclined at an angle of 45xc2x0xc2x120xc2x0, preferably of 45xc2x0xc2x110xc2x0, to the articulation axis of the at least one joint.
Whereas in the previously proposed snaffle bit the articulation axes of the shackle""s joints are lying in the plane that is defined by the bores for the rings, the angular position of the articulation axes of the joints permitting but a small deviation from this plane, the invention adopts just the opposite way. It intentionally arranges the articulation axes of the at least one joint of the shackle at an angle of 45xc2x0xc2x120xc2x0 to the plane of the bores. As a result, the bit is provided articulateness in a second plane which is inclined at an angle of 45xc2x0 to the plane of the bores. As a result thereof, the bit can better adjust in space to a horse""s mouth and has higher degrees of freedom of movement than the snaffle bit of the prior art cited herein above.
Tests have shown that this bit has a considerably improved fit, that it reinforces the action onto the tongue of the horse and better adjusts to the anatomy of the horse""s mouth.
In a preferred embodiment, the snaffle bit of the invention has one or two joints. Although three or even more joints may also be provided, the embodiments of preference have one or two joints.
Moreover, it proved very advantageous to manufacture the bit according to the invention in the same way as the previously proposed bit mentioned herein above from an alloy as it has been described in the German Patent DE 43 26 550 C1 that contains a high amount of copper and still has a high mechanical strength.
In principle, the design of the joints is discretional. It is possible to have recourse to the embodiments as they have been described in the European Patent mentioned herein above and in the remaining state of the art. Simple designs of the joints however proved particularly efficient, namely such in which the joints are substantially defined by the interlock of two rings. As a joint, such joints have greater freedom of movement than joints that are defined by a rigid articulation axis and that allow the two portions joined by the axis of the joint to merely move in one plane relative to one another. In that the joints are designed as rings, soft transitions are additionally achieved. This allows ease of manufacture. Maintenance and cleaning are easy since the discrete hollow spaces are readily accessible. Furthermore, additional materials for making the joint move in a smooth way are not required. Eventually, this design of the joints excludes the risk of jamming the tongue of the horse and so on.
In a preferred embodiment, the central portion of a bit with two joints has two paralleled bores for forming the two joints of the shackle. It is however also absolutely possible to provide the central portion with two bores that are positioned at right angles to one another.
It proved particularly advantageous to make the central portion of a bit with two joints the shortest possible. Central portions with a maximum length of 4 cm, more specifically of 3 cm, proved appropriate. In bits with only one single joint, a short central region resembling a central portion is realized in that the unique joint provided there is thicker than the adjacent regions so that the shortness of less than 4, resp. 3, 2 or below 1 cm needed and required above is achieved.
In another preferred embodiment, when the bit is normally positioned, the two axes of the bores for the rings are not parallel to each other on a plane, they are rather positioned at an angle of less than 90xc2x0 to the longitudinal axis of the shackle although they are lying in one plane. Their relative position forms a V. As a result thereof and depending upon the orientation of the bit in the horse""s mouth, the pressure exerted on the tongue is reinforced when the reins are pulled. In that the bores are no longer relatively right-angled, a component of movement is introduced into the bit upon pulling on the reins that has positive effects which more specifically consist in that the tongue is strained in a much better way.
In the embodiment as it has been described above it proved advantageous when the axes of the bores of a snaffle bit placed in a horse""s mouth intersect underneath the horse""s tongue, i.e., below its chin. The desired positive strain on the tongue is thus preferably exerted. It is however absolutely possible to arrange the bores in exactly the opposite way. The arrangement also depends on the angular position of the main articulation axes of the at least one joint of the shackle. In accordance with these articulation axes, the bores are made so oblique that the desired positive strain on the tongue is achieved.
It eventually proved advantageous to thicken the central portion as compared to the adjacent side portions. The side portions taper from the rings inward as they do in the prior art bits. In the central region, increased thickness is again achieved. Accordingly, the smallest thickness is found between the central region and the rings. This shape is possible and wanted for the snaffle bit with one joint as well as for the snaffle bit with two joints.
In the entire specification of the invention, the terms top, bottom, front and rear refer to the position of the bit in a horse""s mouth when the horse holds his head in a normal position. Accordingly, the xe2x80x9ctopxe2x80x9d means the region near the horse""s ears, xe2x80x9cbottomxe2x80x9d refers to the region of the mouth opening, xe2x80x9cfrontxe2x80x9d to the region of the nasal bone and xe2x80x9crearxe2x80x9d to the region of the lower jaw.